Trepanations in non-adults of the 16th to 18th C. The osteological series of the Church of the Assumption of Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real, Spain).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of trepanations in an early Modern Age, skeletal collection documented in medical treatises but infrequently reported in osteological collections. MATERIALS: Analyses were conducted on 387 non-adult crania from the ossuary in the church of the Assumption of Valdepeñas (16th - 18th C.), Ciudad Real, Spain. METHODS: All complete or semi-complete crania of non-adults (aged 3-20 years) were macroscopically examined. RESULTS: Trepanation was detected in two adolescents aged 14 and 20 years; no evidence of their survival was observed. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that trepanation was carried out in rural areas as Valdepeñas in the 16th-18th centuries, where the selection of instruments indicates knowledge of contemporaneous medical treatises. SIGNIFICANCE: The present study provides new data on trepanation and how it was performed in adolescents during this period. LIMITATIONS: Understanding the motive for these interventions is highly challenging in the absence of bone lesions, and their occurrence is likely underestimated due to the scant research in skeletal remains from the early Modern Age. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: Further palaeopathological analyses of osteological collections from this period will provide more information about how this surgical technique was perfected.

Versatile organoaluminium catalysts based on heteroscorpionate ligands for the preparation of polyesters.

A series of alkyl aluminium complexes based on heteroscorpionate ligands were designed as catalysts for the ring-opening polymerisation of cyclic esters and ring-opening copolymerisation of epoxides and anhydrides. Treatment of AlX3 (X = Me, Et) with ligands bpzbeH [bpzbe = 1,1-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-3,3-dimethyl-2-butoxide], bpzteH [bpzte = 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1-para-tolylethoxide], and (R,R)-bpzmmH [(R,R)-bpzmm = (1R)-1-{(1R)-6,6-dimethyl-bicyclo[3.1.1]-2-hepten-2-yl}-2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethoxide] for 2 hours at 0 °C afforded the mononuclear dialkyl aluminium complexes [AlMe2{κ2-bpzbe}] (1), [AlEt2{κ2-bpzbe}] (2), [AlMe2{κ2-(R,R)-bpzmm}] (3) and [AlEt2{κ2-(R,R)-bpzmm}] (4), and the dinuclear dialkyl complexes [AlMe2{κ2-bpzte}]2 (5) and [AlEt2{κ2-bpzte}]2 (6). The molecular structures of the new complexes were determined by spectroscopic methods and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The alkyl-containing aluminium complexes can act as highly efficient single-component initiators for the ring-opening polymerisation of ε-caprolactone and l-lactide and for the ring-opening copolymerisation of cyclohexene oxide and phthalic anhydride to give a range of biodegradable polyesters.

Titanium and niobium imido complexes stabilized by heteroscorpionate ligands.

The reaction of [Ti(NR)Cl(2)(py)(3)](R = (t)Bu, p-tolyl, 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2)) with [{Li(bdmpza)(H(2)O)}(4)][bdmpza = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate] and [{Li(bdmpzdta)(H(2)O)}(4)][bdmpzdta = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate] affords the corresponding complexes [Ti(NR)Cl(kappa(3)-bdmpzx)(py)](x = a, R = (t)Bu 1, p-tolyl 2, 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2) 3; x = dta, R =(t)Bu 4, p-tolyl , 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2) 6), which are the first examples of imido Group 4 complexes stabilized by heteroscorpionate ligands. The solid-state X-ray crystal structure of 1 has been determined. The titanium centre is six-coordinate with three fac-sites occupied by the heteroscorpionate ligand and the remainder of the coordination sphere being completed by chloride, imido and pyridine ligands. The complexes are 1-6 fluxional at room temperature. The pyridine ortho- and meta-proton resonances show evidence of dynamic behaviour for this ligand and variable-temperature NMR studies were carried out in order to study their dynamic behaviour in solution. The complexes [Nb(NR)Cl(3)(py)(2)](R = (t)Bu, p-tolyl, 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2)) reacted with [{Li(bdmpza)(H(2)O)}(4)] and (Hbdmpze)[bdmpze = 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethoxide], the latter with prior addition of (n)BuLi, to give the complexes [Nb(NR)Cl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpzx)](x = a, R =(t)Bu 7, p-tolyl 8, 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2) 9; x = e, R = (t)Bu 10, p-tolyl 11, 2,6-C(6)H(3)(i)Pr(2)) 12 and these are the first examples of imido Group 5 complexes with heteroscorpionate ligands. The structures of these complexes have been determined by spectroscopic methods.

New complexes of zirconium(IV) and hafnium(IV) with heteroscorpionate ligands and the hydrolysis of such complexes to give a zirconium cluster.

A series of zirconium and hafnium heteroscorpionate complexes have been prepared by the reaction of MCl4 (M = Zr, Hf) with the compounds [[Li(bdmpza)(H2O)](4)] [bdmpza = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate], [[Li(bdmpzdta)(H2O)](4)] [bdmpzdta = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate], and (Hbdmpze) [bdmpze = 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethoxide] (the latter with the prior addition of Bu(n)Li). Under the appropriate experimental conditions, mononuclear complexes, namely, [MCl3(kappa3-bdmpzx)] [x = a, M = Zr (1), Hf (2); x = dta, M = Zr (3), Hf (4); x = e, M = Zr (5), Hf (6)], and dinuclear complexes, namely, [[MCl2(mu-OH)(kappa3-bdmpzx)]2] [x = a, M = Zr (7), Hf (8); x = dta, M = Zr (9); x = e, M = Zr (10)], were isolated. A family of alkoxide-containing complexes of the general formula [ZrCl2(kappa3-bdmpzx)(OR)] [x = a, R = Me (11), Et (12), iPr (13), tBu (14); x = dta, R = Me (15), Et (16), iPr (17), tBu (18); x = e, R = Me (19), Et (20), (i)Pr (21), (t)Bu (22)] was also prepared. Complexes 11-14 underwent an interesting hydrolysis process to give the cluster complex [Zr6(mu3-OH)8(OH)8(kappa2-bdmpza)8] (23). The structures of these complexes have been determined by spectroscopic methods, and the X-ray crystal structures of 7, 8, and 23 were also established.

Preparation of new monoanionic "scorpionate" ligands: synthesis and structural characterization of titanium(IV) complexes bearing this class of ligand.

The preparation of new "scorpionate" ligands in the form of the lithium derivatives [(Li(bdmpzdta)(H(2)O))(4)] (1) [bdmpzdta = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate], [Li(bdphpza)(H(2)O)(THF)] (2) [bdphpza = bis(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate], and [Li(bdphpzdta)(H(2)O)(THF)] (3) [bdphpzdta = bis(3,5-diphenylpyrazol-1-yl)dithioacetate] has been carried out. Furthermore, a series of titanium complexes has been prepared by reaction of TiCl(4)(THF)(2) with the lithium reagents [(Li(bdmpza)(H(2)O))(4)] (4) [bdmpza = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetate] and 1. Under the appropriate experimental conditions neutral complexes, namely [TiCl(3)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)] (5), [TiCl(3)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)] (6), and [TiCl(2)(kappa(2)-bdmpzdta)(2)] (7), and cationic complexes, namely [TiCl(2)(THF)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)]Cl (8) and [TiCl(2)(THF)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)]Cl (9), were isolated. Complexes 8 and 9 undergo an interesting nucleophilic THF ring-opening reaction to give the corresponding alkoxide-containing species [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)(O(CH(2))(4)Cl)] (10) and [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)(O(CH(2))(4)Cl)] (11). A family of alkoxide-containing complexes of general formulas [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpza)(OR)] [R = Me (12); R = Et (14); R = (i)Pr (16); R = (t)Bu (18)] and [TiCl(2)(kappa(3)-bdmpzdta)(OR)] [R = Me (13); R = Et (15); R = (i)Pr (17)] was also prepared. The structures of these complexes have been determined by spectroscopic methods, and in addition, the X-ray crystal structures of 3, 7, 10, and 11 were also established.